Scavenger Walks

The weather has been beautiful lately - 70s and 80s, sunshine, nice breeze - and the kids and I have started a new routine of going for walks in the afternoons to explore and search for critters. Anna and Will each bring a Scavenger Walk list, created by myself, with pictures and names of the items we need to look for... bird, car, snake, flower, etc. Then we head off to one or more of the drainage ditches and ponds in our neighborhood to see what we can see. At the same time, we are a sight to behold, I am sure, as I push Evan in the umbrella stroller, Anna pushes her baby doll in her little stroller, and Will, not to be outdone, pushes his orange wheelbarrow through the streets of our neighborhood, stopping periodically to mark something off the lists. We have seen bullfrogs, minnows, ducklings, turtles, two water snakes, and maybe even a small alligator (that one is debatable). Anna and Will love finding these critters; Evan rides contentedly; and I relish the mild weather, fully aware of the oppressive heat just around the corner that will chase me to the refuge of air conditioning.